Smoke stacks for a nickel-refinery spew sulfur dioxide into the environment July 21, 2002 in Norilsk, Russia.
An industrial city in northern Russia founded in 1935, Norilsk contained the world’s largest heavy metals smelting complex as of the early 2000s. Nearly 500 tons each of carbon and nickel oxides, along with 2 million tons of sulfur dioxide are released annually into the air. That’s one reason why life expectancy for factory workers in Norilsk is 10 years below the Russian average, which is hardly robust anyway at just 69 years, compared to nearly 79 years in the U.S. It’s estimated that over 130,000 local residents are exposed to particulates and metal pollution each day, leading to increased levels of respiratory disease and cancer.